I’m entering Grade 10 and I go to Timberline Secondary School. I have lived in Campbell River my whole life. It is one of the prettiest places I’ve been. There are so many gorgeous lakes and rivers that are great for swimming and camping during the summer. My family and I have camped a lot with friends and relatives up and down the Island, and I’ve made friends that I still keep in contact with. On any summer day, we love to hit up the Pier for ice cream.
In the fall and spring, there are lots of hikes and sightseeing spots that we visit. We like the Ripple Rock Trail, the Canyon View Trail, and, most popular, the suspension bridge, which is a beautiful spot for viewing Elk Falls. In the winter there are lots of sledding hills.
From an early age, I have been involved with sports. My parents have always played sports, so growing up, that’s what I did. When I was really little, I did gymnastics, soccer, and hockey. I also danced for seven years, starting when I was four, at both Urban Dance Connection and CR DanceXtreme. My first memories are of time spent in the dance studio and on stage at competitions.
Our CR DanceXtreme studio was always a big part of the Canada Day celebration at Spirit Square in the Tyee Plaza. I have spent many years at the Tidemark Theatre because our dance recitals were a huge community production. I was a competitive dancer and I absolutely loved it. I made lots of friends and spent many hours with them at the studio.
A couple years ago I was getting too busy with all of my sports, so I had to decide between dance or baseball because they are both year-round. As well, other school sports that I was interested in were beginning when I hit middle school. I decided to stick with baseball as my main sport and play rep, then play volleyball and basketball in the off-season. I am usually the only girl on my baseball team and one of the only girls in my league. For the most part, it’s pretty fun being one of the only girls, but sometimes it’s hard and a lot of pressure.
I played for the 15U AA Royals for the 2020/21 season and after that I played a bit of summer baseball with the BC Girls Baseball Team. This season I am playing with North Island Cubs on the 15U AAA team and trying out for Team BC. As I’m writing this, I know that I’ve made it to the second round of tryouts and am looking forward to going to the camp in July. I can’t wait to see my friends that I made last summer. Hopefully we’ll be heading to Nationals in Prince Edward Island in August.
I’m also really big into volleyball. I started playing it when I was 11. I’ve made some of my best friends through volleyball. This past season I was captain of both the Junior Team at Timberline and the Crush Volleyball team. This year was my first year that I got to go to Provincials. It was super fun. I got to hang out with my teammates to wrap up the season and it was a fun two-day trip. My cousin was also playing there so we got to watch her play and cheer her on and she did the same for us. I’m glad I didn’t have to compete against her because her team was really good.
On top of that, I have played basketball for the past couple years. This year we had a really fun team and got to travel to a couple tournaments where I got to hang out with a new group of friends and get some shopping in. We started off as the underdogs and ended up improving so much and winning a few games. My basketball coach presented me with the Jr. Female Athlete of the Year Award at Timberline for all of my hard work in sports this year.
Finally, I have done some volunteer work. When I was younger, I made rainbow loom bracelets and sold them to donate all the proceeds to the Campbell River Hospital Foundation and the BC Children’s Hospital. This meant a lot to me because I know family members and friends that have gone to these hospitals or battled cancer. Giving back by donating as much time and money as possible was a small way I could help.
I am a multi-sport athlete and love to compete. Sports basically make up my days but I wouldn’t change that for anything. I’ve made so many memories and friends along the way and Campbell River is a great place to be involved with sports.
